The Central Railway plans to set up 1 MW of solar capacity by developing plants across 81 locations throughout its network. Solar plants will be set up over vacant and unused land owned by the Indian railways.
Central Railways is one of the 19 zones of the Indian railway. It covers a large part of Maharashtra, parts of Karnataka, and southern Madhya Pradesh. The railway system links a total of 477 stations in five divisions.
“To facilitate the installation of the solar plants, we have identified around 2,700 acres of vacant or unused railway land. These locations hold immense potential for the development of solar power infrastructure and will help in further reducing the Indian railway’s carbon emissions,” said Mr. Shivraj Manaspure, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) at Central Railway.
In June 2023, the Central Railway installed solar rooftop plants at various stations, significantly increasing their solar capacity by 135kWp (kilowatt peak). Successful installations were carried out at stations such as Osmanabad, Barshi, Wadsinge, Salgare, Parewadi, Mohol, and Tilati in the Solapur division, as well as Kala Akhar, Pola Patthar, Maramjhiri, Taku, Jaulkhera, and Dodaramohar in Nagpur division.
Additionally, the organization has secured a tender for a 1 MW capacity solar plant at the newly built electric loco shed in Ajni. This plant, which will be built using the PPA model, will generate clean energy and help reduce the railway’s dependence on non-renewable resources.
Indian Railway is committed to adopting clean energy and meeting its net zero goals. At the end of last year, Western Railways announced savings of over ₹1.5 crores through solar generation. Southern Railways saved over ₹55 crores by using wind and solar power.
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Resource: The Times of India
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